The present invention relates generally to a physical exercise apparatus and, more particularly, to a shock absorption apparatus for developing, strengthening or rehabilitating the human ankle.
Physical fitness and health concerns are among the areas of highest concern among Americans today. More than ever, people are frequenting health clubs and performing exercise routines at home in order to lose weight, improve muscle tone and maintain a healthy lifestyle. One (1) area of the body that many individuals often overlook however is that of the ankle area. This is especially ironic when one considers the amount of people affected by ankle injuries. Typical health clubs, workout areas, and the like are filled with equipment and machines to help build and strengthen other areas of the body, but ankle only machines are strangely absent. This phenomenon also impacts those who have already suffered from an ankle injury or are recovering from surgery and are looking to rehabilitate their ankle areas.
Several attempts have been made in the past to develop a shock absorption apparatus for developing, strengthening or rehabilitating the human ankle. U.S. Pat. No. 6,821,235, in the name of Johnson et al, discloses a device that includes a foot-engaging element that can move in a spherical pattern and has resistance to movement generated by elastic straps. The straps can be added, changed or removed to customize the resistance to the exact pattern required to achieve maximum benefit for the user. The device does not require a user to place his or her weight on their foot to exercise, strengthen or rehabilitate an ankle. Unfortunately, the shape of the base of this prior art example does not provide a stable platform for use of the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,368,536, in the name of Stodgell, discloses an ankle rehabilitation device providing for exercise movement duplicating the complete range of ankle movement including plantar and dorsi flexion, inversion, eversion and rotation. The amount of resistance to movement and the direction of resistance may be changed without disattaching the foot from the device. A tensioning device is also provided to permit use of the device for isometric exercise of the ankle. An ankle rehabilitation device according to one (1) embodiment of the invention comprises a base, a support post mounted to the base, a base plate rotatably mounted to the support post, a foot receiving platform universally mounted on top of the support post, and a two-bar linkage mounted at one end to the base plate and at the other end to one (1) of a plurality of attachment points on the foot receiving platform. A coil-spring is operatively connected between the bars of the linkage. Unfortunately, this prior art example requires the user to stand on one (1) foot while exercising the other foot which may not be feasible for a person with an injury to both legs or feet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,880, in the name of Allen, describes a stepper/climber machine that includes a frame supported on a base with the frame being comprised of first and second hollow columns connected to a hollow cross-beam. Within the first and second hollow columns, there are first and second rigid struts, respectively. Each of the rigid struts has a foot pedal and handgrip fixed thereto. The rigid struts are connected by a cable which is trained through the hollow cross-beam so that as one (1) strut moves upwardly, the other strut moves downwardly, thereby raising one handgrip and pedal while allowing the other handgrip and pedal to lower. The first and second struts are connected to one another through a hydraulic circuit which includes a branched portion with legs having opposed one-way check valves in series with solenoid valves. A selector determines the lengths of the strokes by opening and closing the solenoid valves alternately so that fluid can only flow in one direction through the hydraulic circuit. In this way, the person using the stepper/climber exercise machine must cycle the machine through complete strokes instead of being able to shorten the strokes as the exercise proceeds, allowing the person using the machine to optimize their workout. The hydraulic circuit also includes an adjustable valve which allows the user to increase or decrease the resistance to flow, and thus the resistance encountered during the exercise routine. Unfortunately, this prior art example is not designed for rehabilitation of an ankle from an injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,112 in the name of Crum et al, discloses a foot pedal operated exercising device containing a dynamometer formed of a pair of cylinders each containing a piston. The pistons are linked to each other. The upper portions of the two (2) cylinders are joined together by a common opening to provide a common fluid reservoir and each piston is provided with a one-way check valve to maintain an adequate supply of working fluid. Fluid from the driven cylinder is transmitted to the other cylinder through separate constant force spring biased valves each valve takes the predominant portion of the pressure drop thereby providing a constant force hydraulic dynamometer. A device is provided to determine the amount of movement of piston travel. Unfortunately, this prior art example provides a severely restricted range of exercise motion.
None of the prior art particularly describes a shock absorption apparatus for developing, strengthening or rehabilitating the human ankle. Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus which provides such features while overcoming the above-noted shortcomings.